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Chipmaking giant TSMC discovers major employee data leak—reports say info was up for sale for three bitcoin on shady forums
The data is said to have been "made available on an external website without authorization."
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TSMC, the juggernaut that produces roughly 90% of the world's most advanced chips, has discovered a data leak said to contain over 46,000 employee records, according to Seeking Alpha.
The company made a Form 6-K filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday, stating: "TSMC has found that some of our current and former employee data was made available on an external website without authorization. Currently, we have found no evidence that TSMC’s systems have been compromised."
The company says the info has been verified to match data "stored in the system services of a cloud service provider," although said provider is not named. TSMC says it has informed those impacted by the breach and is providing support, and has also engaged with the cloud service vendor, investigating authorities, and a third-party cybersecurity agency to "ascertain the facts and take necessary actions."
Taiwanese outlet United Daily News reports that hackers were allegedly offering the employee records on an underground forum for the princely sum of three bitcoin, in exchange for 6.9 GB worth of private data.
The outlet also says that, "according to information online" (via machine translation), hackers were also selling what appears to be TSMC employee data on other forums, releasing a small sample which is said to contain a vast array of personal details, including national ID numbers, addresses, and banking information.
TSMC has confirmed in its statement that the leaked data is unrelated to the company's operations, or customer-related information.
This isn't the first time TSMC has been in the headlines in relation to cybersecurity. Back in 2023, ransomware outfit LockBit attempted to extort the company for $70 million after a claimed hack.
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